IIP:'"  ox  1.2-2. 

A/5  ^  e 

STATE  OF  NEW  YOHK 
EDUCATION  DEPARTMENT 

Albany ,  N.  Y October  20 ,  zpu 

THE  NEW  STATE  LIBRARY 
Book  purchases 

The  New  York  State  Library,  largely  destroyed  by  fire  March 
29,  1911,  is  now,  by  reason  of  liberal  provision  made  for  it  by  the 
State,  prepared  to  begin  arranging  for  its  new  collections. 

It  is  the  duty  of  those  charged  with  the  purchase  of  materials  to 
see  that  the  State  gets  full  value  for  all  money  expended  and  to 
make  sure  that  only  choice  books  of  real  worth  and  usefulness  are 
permitted  to  enter  into  the  new  library.  The  act  of  the  Legislature, 
just  passed,  directs  that  the  foundations  now  to  be  laid  shall  be  made 
fit  to  carry,  ultimately,  a  greater  library  than  the  one  which  was 
burned. 

To  this  end  it  seems  well  to  state  briefly  to  dealers  and  others 
who  may  have  books  to  give  or  to  sell,  and  for  the  information 
of  the  general  public  which  will  be  interested,  something  about  the 
scope  of  the  new  library  soon  to  be  brought  together. 

It  would  be  too  much  to  expect  to  make  the  New  York  State 
Library  greater  than  all  other  libraries  in  all  particulars.  Though  it 
will  have  some  books  on  most  subjects,  it  can  not  undertake  to 
collect  all  the  books  or  even  all  the  important  books  on  all  subjects. 

The  immediate  definite  constituency  of  the  Library  is  of  course 
the  Legislature,  the  courts  and  the  departments  of  the  State  govern¬ 
ment  with  fheir  employes.  In  recent  years  as  the  business  of  the 
State  has  increased  and  the  conception  of  the  functions  of  the  State 
has  enlarged,  the  range  and  volume  of  the  official  demands  made 
upon  the  State  Library  have  steadily  become  greater  and  greater. 
It  is  expected  that  this  will  continue.  It  must  be  abundantly 
provided  for. 

A  remoter  but  possibly  an  even  more  important  constituency  of 
the  Library  is  steadily  developing  in  every  part  of  the  State.  Every 
school,  every  library,  and  all  of  *the  culturing,  commercial,  pro¬ 
fessional,  and  industrial  activities  in  the  State  are  depending  upon 
and  becoming,  in  effect,  branches  of  the  State  Library.  Through 
them  any  individual  citizen  may  expect  to  find  the  unusual  book  not 


L4r-On-iooo  (7-8691) 


2 


found  in  local  collections.  It  is  the  business  of  the  Library  to 
encourage  this  by  meeting  it. 

The  Library  will,  from  the  first,  pay  special  attention  to  the 
following  subjects,  and  in  these  subjects  will  aim  to  make  its 
collections  preeminent. 

General  reference  books 

a  Complete  sets  of  all  journals  named  in  the  chief  general  indexes 
to  English  and  American  periodicals. 

b  All  books  named  in  any  important  indexes  to  general  literature, 
e.g.  The  “A.L.A.  Index,”  “A.L.A.  Catalog,”  Granger,  Cotgreave, 
Reader’s  Guide. 

c  All  strictly  “  reference  books  ”  in  all  subjects,  in  the  general 
acceptance  of  the  term,  an  acceptance  which  may  fairly  be  indicated 
by  the  scope  of  Kroeger’s  Guide  to  reference  books. 

d  Publications  of  learned  societies  with  particular  attention  to  those 
on  the  subjects  in  which  the  Library  is  to  specialize. 

e  Bibliography;  especially  titles  listed  in  New  York  State  Library 
School  Bulletins  26  and  5,  and  Bibliography  Bulletin  36.  Books 
about  books,  the  history  of  printing,  examples  of  early  printed 
books,  of  notable  bindings,  of  books  from  famous  presses,  of  ex¬ 
ceptional  typography.  Library  history,  administration  and  publi¬ 
cations. 

Law 

All  American,  British  and  colonial  official,  unofficial,  side  and 
local  court  reports. 

All  series  of  selected  cases  or  cases  covering  special  topics. 

American,  British  and  colonial  statute  law. 

All  law  periodicals  in  the  English  language,  with  a  selection  from 
those  in  other  languages. 

Digests,  tables  of  cases,  citation  books  and  all  legal  bibliographic 
apparatus  necessary  to  the  convenient  and  exhaustive  study  of  case 
law. 

Legal  encyclopedias  and  dictionaries,  American  textbooks  in  all 
editions,  legal  history  and  biography,  literature  of  the  law,  inter¬ 
national  law,  constitutional  law,  trials. 

Reports  of  American  bar  associations  and  legal  societies. 

Such  of  the  statute  law  and  legal  literature  of  foreign  countries 
as  will  be  useful  to  our  State  courts  and  departments  in  passing  upon 
foreign  questions  coming  before  them,  and  to  the  Legislature  for  a 
comparative  study  of  legislation. 


3 


Medicine 

Complete  sets  of  all  important  medical  serials,  especially  those 
listed  in  New  York  State  Library  Bibliography  Bulletin  47  and 
those  indexed  in  Index  Medicus. 

Transactions  of  medical  academies  and  societies,  bulletins  from 
hospitals,  public  health  reports,  vital  statistics. 

Important  cyclopedias,  handbooks,  reference  works  and  texts, 
and  of  less  use  but  surely  claiming  a  place,  the  literature  recounting 
the  history  and  development  of  the  medical  sciences  and  the  lives 
of  famous  physicians. 

History 

The  standard  histories  of  all  countries,  with  special  attention  to 
those  European  nations  which  were  early  or  active  explorers  of 
America,  which  were  colonizers  of  this  country  and  which  have  left 
traces  upon  our  government,  people  and  institutions. 

Americana  will  be  collected  with  zeal  and  in  the  broadest  sense 
of  the  term  emphasizing  strongly  the  thirteen  original  colonies. 

The  collection  of  books  and  manuscripts  relating  to  New  York 
State  must,  of  course,  be  by  all  odds  the  best  in  the  country. 

Local  history,  geography,  travels,  cartography,  American  Indians, 
American  imprints  before  1800,  New  York  imprints  before  1825, 
American  newspapers  before  1850,  American  biography  and  gene¬ 
alogy,  with  so  much  of  English  and  foreign  genealogy  as  shall  be 
necessary  to  trace  immigrant  ancestry,  are  some  of  the  collateral 
historical  subjects  which  will  have  attention. 

American  literature  to  be  principally  represented  by  first  and 
notable  editions  of  the  standard  authors. 

Education 

The  State  Library  is  a  part  of  the  State  Education  Department, 
the  Regents  of  the  University  are  its  trustees,  and  it  is  thus  directly 
associated  with  the  administrative  educational  offices  of  the  State 
and  all  of  the  State’s  marvelous  educational  activities.  There  are 
more  than  50,000  teachers  in  the  State  and  the  people  expend  more 
than  $80,000,000  each  year  for  schools.  Surely  the  State  Library 
must  make  its  collections  on  educational  theory  and  practice  as 
complete  and  as  useful  to  the  thousands  of  educational  officers, 
teachers  and  students  throughout  the  State  as  is  possible.  Schools, 
colleges,  and  universities,  public  and  private,  in  all  parts  of  the 
country  are  urged  to  send  to  the  Library  as  full  sets  as  possible  of 
their  reports,  catalogs  and  publications. 


4 


Social  science 

The  Library  must  have  extensive  collections  on  social,  economic 
and  political  science;  industrial  history;  statistics.  In  this  field  lie 
the  political  and  economic  questions  which  are  the  subjects  of  legis¬ 
lation  and  of  State  regulation  or  control.  On  such  topics  for 
example  as  Elections,  Suffrage,  Labor,  Taxation,  Banking  and 
finance,  Municipal  government,  Conservation,  Public  utilities,  Insur¬ 
ance,  Charities,  no  pains  will  be  spared  to  build  up  notable  collections. 

Technology  and  engineering 

The  Library  will  aim  to  secure  all  the  journals  named  in  the 
Engineering  Index  and  will  more  particularly  notice  topics  which 
relate  to  activities  or  enterprises  in  which  the  State  is  engaged : 
canals,  railroads,  highways,  water  storage,  agriculture,  public  health 
and  the  engineering  phases  of  the  utilities  regulated  by  the  Public 
Service  Commissions. 


Science 

Beyond  the  fundamental  general  reference  material,  the  State 
Library  will  specialize  in  science  only  so  far  as  may  be  necessary 
to  serve  such  agencies  or  departments  of  the  State  government  as 
are  doing  scientific  work.  Good  working  collections  will  be  made  in 
geology,  zoology,  entomology,  botany,  with  more  particular  atten¬ 
tion  to  the  economic  phases  of  these  subjects,  and  in  chemistry  as 
related  to  agriculture,  the  arts  and  commerce. 

Manuscripts 

Besides  the  manuscript  archives  which  in  accordance  with  law 
are  from  time  to  time  transferred  to  the  State  Library  by  other 
State  departments,  the  Library  will  secure  all  important  private 
manuscripts  that  can  be  obtained  relating  to  the  history  of  the  State 
and  to  the  lives  of  its  public  men.  Extensive  collections  of  letters 
are  specially  desirable  and  the  appropriateness  of  depositing  them 
in  the  State  Library  is  suggested  to  families  in  which  such  collections 
exist. 

Government  documents 

As  complete  a  set  as  possible  of  the  printed  documents  of  the 
United  States  Government  both  in  the  collected  and  departmental 
editions. 


5 


The  same  for  every  state  in  the  Union.  At  this  point  many  other 
State  libraries  have  been  prompt  with  offers  of  substantial  help, 
which  will  be  freely  availed  of  as  occasions  for  it  arise. 

The  collected  edition  when  issued  (otherwise  the  separate  edi¬ 
tions)  of  the  documents  of  every  American  city  with  more  than 
25,000  population,  and  for  all  counties,  cities  and  incorporated 
villages  in  New  York  State. 


In  proceeding  to  secure  books  according  to  this  program  it  will 
be  assumed  that  whenever  practicable  the  principle  of  competition 
as  to  prices  must  prevail.  The  Library  will  be  free  to  go  into  the 
markets  of  the  world  and  all  who  have  materials  to  sell  may  be 
assured  of  fair  dealing  upon  the  basis  of  the  best  advantage  to  the 
Library. 

The  Library  invites  tenders  from  all  who  have  books  to  offer 
which  are  within  the  scope  of  its  proposed  collections. 

These  tenders  must  be  specific  as  to  price,  and  clear  and  accurate 
as  to  the  physical  condition  and  bibliographic  identity  of  the  books 
offered. 

Tenders  of  sets  of  periodicals,  transactions  of  learned  societies, 
state  and  government  reports  or  serials  of  any  sort  should  be  for 
complete  sets  only,  unless  it  is  well  known  that  the  publication  is 
exceedingly  scarce. 

Representatives  of  the  Library  expect  to  make  personal  examina¬ 
tion  of  important  purchases.  It  is  therefore  suggested  that  tenders 
be  confined  strictly  to  books  actually  in  hand  and  not  to  books  which 
individuals  or  dealers  hope  or  plan  to  acquire  later,  unless  they  are 
standard  and  easily  obtainable  in  the  open  market. 

Unusual  discounts  will  be  expected  for  purchases  involving  com 
siderable  sums. 

Any  and  all  tenders  may,  of  course,  be  declined.  All  of  the  facts 
and  conditions  affecting  each  specific  tender  will  be  considered  and 
purchases  will  be  made  upon  the  basis  of  the  best  advantage  to  the 
State. 

When  cash  is  not  paid  contracts  will  be  made  for  future  delivery 
at  the  State  Education  Building  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  probably  not 
earlier  than  April  or  May,  1912.  Payments  will  be  made  after 
delivery  of  goods  in  satisfactory  condition.  It  is  likely  that  many 
important  purchases  and  those  involving  large  sums  of  money  will 


6 


be  made  on  this  contract  plan.  Form  of  contract  to  be  used,  addi¬ 
tional  copies  of  this  circular,  and  lists  of  books  wanted  on  particular 
subjects  may  be  had  from  the  undersigned  to  whom  all  tenders  and 
correspondence  should  be  addressed. 


Director  Nezv  York  State  Library 


Approved  Oct.  io,  1911 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 

University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign  Alternates 


https://archive.org/details/newstatelibrarycOOuniv 


L 


